Modern Day Folktales
by truenorth7
Summary: What makes a Hero? Character study with the whole team on what makes a hero. All characters involved. Many thanks to the excellent madabouttms for brilliant beta advice. Yeah I know i am really bad in updating...Sorry. It's Finished!
1. Prelude

**Title: Modern Day Folk Tales**

**Setting: Post Meat S2**

**Spoilers: None**

**Warning: Violence and Language in later chapters**

**Authors Note: This is going to be a multi chapter verse about 7-8 chapters. Is more of a character study. Thanks to the wonderful **

**madaboutms fromn L.J for the beta advice!**

**Prelude**

What is a hero?

Define it for me, Explain it to me.

Someone, I'm not sure who, once told me that a hero is someone who stays braver for 30 seconds longer than everyone else.

But is that really it?

The dictionary defines a hero as "a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: _He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child."_

Every day we see them. The footballer who scores the winning goal, the Hollywood actor who helps someone on the side of the road. Is this really heroics? The media certainly seems to think so.

What about the policeman who faces down the barrel of a gun to save an unknown woman, or the lorry driver who pulls a young man from a car before it explodes?

Or what about an organization, dedicated to saving a world oblivious to the danger it is in. People who have lost so much, seen so much and yet still manage to get back up for another crack.

Hero, a collective unconscious myth created by a public as a means to hold on to something better, something good in a world full of heartache and uncertainty.

Buried in the pages of the old stories, one thing they had in common, the hero always triumphed and their stories were told and retold.


	2. PC Andy Davidson

He hated the graveyard shift. He hated it even more when it was raining which inevitably it usually was.

The night could go one of two ways, either nothing at all would happen and the night would go slower than a granny in the fast lane of the motorway at peak hour, or it would be so busy he would barely have time to scratch himself.

Tonight was shaping up to be the former, out on patrol he and his new partner had responded to one domestic that turned out to be quite the opposite once they arrived judging by the naked, red faced bloke who answered the door after they had heard them shouting not so much in anger, but in the throes of passion.

He glanced at his new partner who had been talking non-stop for the last 20 minutes about, well anything he could think of.

PC Andy Davidson wasn't taking any of it in, in fact his brain was screaming inside his head for this guy to shut the hell up while outwardly he nodded and grunted in verbal agreement feigning interested. It as a trick he had seen Gwen employ when the roles had been reversed, before she had rushed off to join Torchwood.

Yes, Andy was not oblivious to his own ramblings and inane chatter but……Gwen made him nervous. She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever known, caring, passionate and sadly taken.

He sighed as his partner kept talking, never drawing breath it seemed. It was times like this he prayed for a call out……hell he would settle for having to rescue a cat out of a tree at this point.

As the shift wore on it appeared that nothing was going to get any better. Even as they walked on foot patrol in a busy nightclub hotspot it appeared to be dead, not even anyone pissed. Thankfully the shift did eventually end to what felt like to Andy about 72 hours after it started.

Walking out of the station he bid his co-worker goodbye as he made his way across the car park to his car. It had stopped raining and now the steam was making its way up from the road to swirl in patterns around his feet as he walked across the car park. The night was still, the air thick with that after rain smell that always reminded him of being a kid.

As he reached his car he pressed the button on his key ring to unlock the door.

As he reached out to lift the handle he heard the unmistakable scream of a woman, it was faint, but the terrified edge it had to it still came through thick and fast. The hairs of the back of his neck stood on edge as he carefully but very quickly reached for the police issue baton and capsicum spray he had in his kit. He ran in the direction of the sound, it seemed to be coming from the far end of the car park into a little off-shoot street. It was poorly lit, a place where all sorts of things could play on your imagination on the horrors of the night.

Andy paused, his heart hammering wildly in his chest as he strained his ears for the source of the screams.

"Please, no….take my money, you can have anything but please….not that, please….."

The voice was desperate, pleading, and he followed it to an alley off shoot from the small road.

His heart hammered in his chest as he gripped his baton tighter and rounded into the alleyway.

He had no idea what he was walking into, how many he would have to deal with, _**what**_ the hell he would have to deal with.

He saw in silhouette a broad figure crouching over a prone body, he saw the woman as she struggled, he watched as the figure pulled its hand back to strike the woman, Andy flinched, but to give away his position now would be to compromise any hope he had of an upper hand on this thug.

The woman's screams where a good cover for his footsteps as he approached close enough within striking distance he yelled., "Oi you! You're under arrest."

The figure sprung up as if struck by electricity, Andy could see it was a man, a bloody tall man and he had a knife.

"Hey plod, think you can take on me?"

He waived the knife dangerously in front of Andy, the young PC watched the blade as it swung back and forward like a snake looking for a place to strike.

Sounding braver than he felt Andy replied with his toughest inner city cop voice, "Oh I think I can manage a little thing like you."

What the fuck was he thinking….he should have waited, should have called for back-up. But then what would have happened to the woman. The glint in the other man's eyes and the size of the blade he held in his hand suggested she was running out of time.

He anticipated the lunge the man made at him with the knife in his hand and sidestepped while placing a hit to his kidneys with his baton, the man groaned in pain and sunk to his knees as Andy spun around and repeated the hit in the same place. For good measure he gave the man a hit of capsicum spray in his eyes as he went down groaning in pain before jumping on him and getting his hands behind his back to place the cuffs on him. He made sure he secured the weapon before turning his attention to the woman who was still laid on the ground. Her eyes where open in alarm, her body slightly shaking as she went into shock.

"It's ok now love, you're safe."

He took off his jacket and covered her with it before pulling his mobile out to call for backup and an ambulance.

Suddenly the woman started to talk.

"You saved me……you saved me…."

"Shhhh its ok, you're safe now, what's your name?"

"A….Anna Lacey."

"It's ok Anna, my names Andy and you're going to be ok"

It didn't take long for his backup to arrive followed by the ambulance. Andy left the young woman in their hands before joining his fellow officers who were bundling the perpetrator into a van for transport back to the cells. He watched as the ambulance took her away before he was led back to the station to make his statement.

"So who was he?"

"Linus Forster, we've been tracking this guy for a while. Killed his landlord two weeks ago and is wanted on six charges of assault. You did a hell of a thing Andy, stupid git could have got yourself killed."

Andy let out a faint, nervous laugh as he walked out of the station and followed the same path he had taken only two hours before.

He climbed into his car and sat behind the wheel, noticing now how much his hands were shaking. He let his head rest on the steering wheel as he let the tremors take its course. When he felt stronger he fired up the engine and started driving, except it wasn't home he was headed, he found himself at the A&E. Buying a bunch of flowers at the kiosk he marched to the reception desk and asked for Anna Lacey. The receptionist took one look at his police uniform and directed him to the ward.

Carefully he stuck his head into the ward and immediately spotted a bruised woman sitting up in bed.

"Hiya……..I'm…"

She smiled, a half smile as the corner of her mouth was bruised.

"Andy?"

He nodded.

She continued to smile at him as she motioned him to sit down.

He took her lead and placed the flowers on her bedside table.

She reached for his hand and grabbed his fiercely.

"Thank you……..my hero!"

"I'm no hero, just doing my job ma'am."

"You are a hero to me, thank you."

"You're welcome."

**Next: Rhys Williams.**


	3. Rhys Williams

"Like a hardwoods Lorry…"

Rhys reached over and switched the radio off. He'd long ago gotten sick of that ad and right now he could have done without Harwoods Lorry.

He was supposed to be the manager, leaving the hard labour to his staff but a distinct lack of drivers had left him so short staffed he had resorted to covering some of the day shift and half the night.

Still, he shouldn't have to do it for long, he had some new staff starting on Monday, finally enabling him to get back to the office and to the mountain of paperwork he had been neglecting from the past 2 two weeks. It also meant that finally he would be able to spend some time with Gwen……well, that's when she was there of course. He had long since given up on trying to track the crazy hours she devoted to Torchwood but it did help if he was at least able to be home for her when she did manage to get some free time. It had taken him some time to make his peace with Gwen and her new so-called secret life. It wasn't easy letting her go out of the door everyday into untold danger but he was glad that he knew what was going on now. He understood why some nights she was quiet and reserved, why some nights she came home limping or in bandages. Why some nights she came home with eyes so full of lust he barely had time to draw breath before she had him stripped bare in front of her. It was incredible to think of all the possibilities, of alien life and new technologies, but it made him shudder at the thought of what that implied. He had seen what the greed of man had done to the helpless creature in that warehouse; it had put him off pies for months.

He yawned and rubbed the back of his head, shaking it for a moment to try and clear the fuzziness that had taken up residence on the edges of his brain. He had been up and driving since 6am and now thirteen hours later he was coming back to base, his final destination, with the empty lorry. He was about twenty minutes from base and then it was a quick ride home. All Rhys had on his mind was a shower and then bed. Oh maybe a quick cuddle with the wife, if she was home, but that was all he was capable of tonight, especially since he had to be back to work at 7am for morning meeting with the other regional managers.

Sighing he started to move to the inside lane as his exit was coming up. He watched cautiously as the car up ahead changed lanes at the same time, making sure he hung back enough to give them room. Suddenly from out of no-where a large car seemed to lose traction on the road, miles before they had been playing the hero, weaving in and out of traffic, times like that there's never a copper around when you needed them. Rhys watched in horror as the car veered off directly into the path of the vehicle in front.

Instinct took over as he slammed on the brakes and as carefully and quickly as he was able to veered the lorry to the side of the road to a safe stop as he watched in horror as the car that had been in front of him flipped over once, twice and then a third, coming a halt with a skid on its side once it lost the momentum to flip anymore.

Rhys had lost track of the car that had started this chain reaction, he pulled out his mobile and dialed for emergency services.

The ambulance booked, Rhys slid his phone shut and pushed it into the pocket of his jeans as he leapt out of the lorry and ran to the prone vehicle. It looked like the offending vehicle had taken off as it was nowhere to be seen.

As he approached he yelled., "Hello in there, are you alright?"

Nothing but silence answered him back apart from a few sparks giving off by the still whirring motor. Rhys ran around to the front of the car and looked through the front windscreen.

There sitting in the front seats where a woman and man, both pretty out of it by the look of it. With the car laying on its side it was easy for Rhys to reach the front windscreen. It looked like it was half shorn off, a crumpled mess, but luckily for Rhys it made it easier to pull it out altogether giving him instant access to the couple in front who were now starting to rouse.

"Hey there, easy…"

Rhys leaned forward to the woman and checked her pulse. It had been a while since he had done a basic first aid course but the principle hadn't changed that much. He checked her pulse which was strong and she was breathing. A nasty cut above her forehead which explained why she was so dazed.

"Hi there, my names Rhys, can you tell me your name?"

"Ah….um….Sarah, Sarah Graham."

"Hi Sarah, can you move all your arms and legs Sarah?"

The woman groaned as she tested her limbs. "It's ok, they don't feel broken but my head….."

"I know you've taken a nasty bump to the head."

"Peter! Peter!" She turned her head to look over at the man behind the wheel.

Rhys reached over to check the unconscious man, the steady rise and fall of the man's chest had already told Rhys he was alive.

"'S'ok love he's alive, the ambos are on their way so we just sit tight ok?"

She nodded as she reached out for Rhys' hand clenching it tightly. He smiled reassuringly at her and she half smiled back, closing her eyes.

Suddenly Rhys heard footsteps running over to them as he turned to see, not a paramedic like he expected, but a fellow motorist who had stopped to lend a hand.

"Hey mate, need a hand to get them out?"

"I called the ambulance so I didn't want to move them."

"Well I think we better this car is about to blow."

Rhys had been too caught up in attending to the woman and her partner he had missed the hissing of the engine and the smell of the fuel. A small fire had started near the car and was travelling fast, making its way ominously to the fuel tank.

"Fuck! Come on love….I need you to wake up and we gotta get you out of here."

Rhys turned to the man.

"Give us a hand"

"Ok love, on three, I need you to help us get you through the windscreen, ok.?"

She nodded as the other man took one side and Rhys tried to support the side that was laying against the unconscious driver. On Rhys' count they collectively hauled her out of the window as quickly and gently as they could. Shouldering her weight between them Rhys and his helper aided the young woman to the side of the road as far away from the vehicle as she could.

Once she was on the ground Rhys bent over her, making sure she was comfortable. She gripped his arm tightly before making a desperate plea.

"Peter,… please you have to get my husband out."

Rhys nodded as he started back toward the car before he felt an arm on his shoulder, pulling him back.

"Hey wait, that things gonna blow any moment, it's too late."

Rhys turned his head to come nose to nose with his fellow Samaritan.

"We can't just leave him in there, I need your help."

Rhys shook the man's hand off his shoulder as he ran back to the vehicle where flames had gotten higher and ever closer to the fuel tank. Thankfully the man followed him.

"Hey mate, I need you to wake up, we gotta get you out of here."

The man groaned, trying to shake himself back to awareness.

Rhys reached in to unclip the seatbelt.

Rhys gripped his shoulders while the other took the other side as they maneuvered him out of the window. It was proving a bit trickier given the size and weight of the injured man.

"We gotta get out of here, it's gonna go," the other man said fretfully.

"We have to get him out first.," Rhys insisted.

"Look mate I got a family, we'll never get him away in time. Just leave him"

"We can't just leave him."

"You maybe, not me."

Rhys watched helplessly as his fellow rescuer hightailed it back to his car and took off.

Cursing under his breath he could feel the heat of the fire as it got closer. He wedged his arms under the man's arms and with one last effort he pulled with all he had, muscles and voice screaming with the effort.

Finally he found the purchase he was looking for as he felt the body come free as they both fell to the ground, the man's body on top of him.

Rhys didn't have time to celebrate as he could still feel the heat from the fire and they needed to get away from the car before it blew. The man seemed to rally as Rhys rolled him off and helped him to stand. He was still hideously unsteady on his legs as he guided him as quickly as possible away from the wreck. They had only gone about halfway when Rhys felt a roar and then an intense heat that knocked both him and the man to the ground as the car blew and threw a fireball into the night sky.

When they had recovered enough, Rhys helped the man over to his wife as they wrapped arms around each other.

Rhys, totally spent, collapsed on the grass and watched the car burn as the emergency services appeared on the scene.

**********

After Rhys had given his statement to the police he was allowed to go.

He walked past the ambulance on his way back to the lorry as he did they were loading the woman into the back.

"Wait!" she cried, enough for Rhys to turn around.

"I…..I don't know your name."

"It's Rhys."

"Rhys, thank you. You saved our lives. Thank you."

"You're welcome love. It was nothing."

"No it wasn't, thank you."

Rhys felt tears burn in his eyes as he nodded.

He kept his eyes on the ambulance as it sped away before climbing back to the lorry, as he did his mobile starting ringing, the caller ID flashed Gwen.

"Hiya."

"Don't you hiya me Rhys, where the bloody hell are you?"

"Sorry Gwen, I got caught up, there was an accident on the motorway."

"Are you OK?"

"Fine love, be home in twenty."

"OK, love you, drive safe."

"Ok, love you too."

Taking a deep breath he started the lorry and pulled back on the motorway, back on track to be back in the arms of his wife.


	4. TW3 Toshiko Sato

**Hi! Sorry it has been so long to update. The next few chapters are covering the Torchwood three members but are part of one storyline. It is their thoughts etc…Hope you enjoy!**

**Torchwood Three Part One**

**Toshiko Sato**

_Tosh had gotten home late, or early depending on your point of view. She was sore, exhausted and wire__. __T h__ere was something else there too, something she didn't want to admit. _

_Guilt._

_She felt the slow burn in the pit of her stomach, it didn't matter how exhausted she felt, there would be no respite tonight, and there would be no peace for Toshiko Sato. She dropped off her bag and laptop on the counter before making a beeline for the wine rack she kept in the hall. Selecting an Australian Shiraz she uncorked and left it to rest a moment on the kitchen bench._

_Producing a big red wine glass she started to pour a large measure, re-corking the bottle __as__she took a large gulp and tried to stop her brain from replaying the last few hours._

_Owen covered in blood, the screams of agony, the tears in Gwen's eyes, the desperation in Ianto's, the powerful and terrible look of their leader._

_The day had started like any other, running diagnostics on the rift and finishing the report she was writing for Jack on the Alusiasoan escape pod that had come through the rift a week ago. That seemed like an age ago now and all she wanted to do was crawl onto her sofa and drink the entire supply of red wine she had in her wine rack, and wish she had never heard of Torchwood._

**12 Hours Earlier…….**

The rift alarm had come as a blessed relief to Tosh as she now had a real excuse to drop the report for Jack that had been doing her head in over the last couple of days.

She heard Jack descending the stairs as she shouted out , "Rift alert Jack, Weevils in Newport. Looks like the industrial district."

"In Newport? How many?"

"Can't tell exact numbers could be two, definitely more than one, could be…"

"Tosh! Pick a number!"

"I don't know…..more than one Jack, it's not an exact science," She replied, knowing full well Jack would catch the irritated tone.

She felt Jack place his hand on her shoulder as he gave a slight squeeze as an apology; he had been more on edge than usual lately, especially since they had woke up in the boardroom missing two days. She had to admit she hated not knowing what had happened and had tried everything she could think of to retrieve any scrap of evidence from the missing time.

"We better go have a look. Ianto!"

"You yelled, Sir?"

"I don't yell, I project.," Jack said with a grin spreading across his features.

That earned him the eyebrow and the eye roll that spoke more than any verbal retort could. Tosh had to suppress a chuckle at that before she felt, rather than saw the look Jack directed her way.

She decided to cut to the chase before the verbal foreplay escalated.

"Weevils in Newport."

"Hmmm, even Weevils slum it once in a while." Jack raised his eyebrow sobering Ianto a little. She shook her head at the both of them before turning back to the task at hand and pinpointing the address they would need. She had to admit most days she loved the comfort it brought her; there was a constancy to it that was never complicated or threatening. The same couldn't be said for people., That's when stuff got messy and she hated messy.

"Ready Tosh?"

Looking up from her screen she found herself inches from Owen's face.

Lost for words she managed a nod as she felt her cheeks warm –_damn it__, why does he have to affect me like that?_

Tosh followed Jack to the SUV, keeping an eye on the rift energy through her hand held PDA. Climbing in, she fired up her computer in the back of the SUV, making it easier to keep a track on the alert.

"Newport, Jack? What's with the rift energy coming up way out there?" Gwen asked curiously.

"I have no idea what it means, Gwen, but there seems to be an increase to the rift; it's almost as if……"

"As if something is acting as a conduit." Ianto chipped in. Surprised by his insight Tosh tore her gaze from her screen and flashed him a curious look; in her peripheral vision she spotted Jack do the same. As close as she had become with Ianto she still felt like she knew nothing about him and that intrigued her.

"Exactly! Jack exclaimed. "When this is dealt with I'd like you and to take a look at it, Yan."

"Hmmm, local knowledge needed again huh, Jack?" Gwen offered, innuendo dripping from every inflection.

"Shut it, Gwen." Jack warned.

Tosh noted the young man's blush but didn't miss the sly grin he directed to the roadside.

She was still staring at Ianto when all of a sudden she shifted violently colliding with Owen beside her as she registered an angry car horn.

"Shit!"

"Cachu!"

"Bloody hell Jack!"

"Sorry." Jack said sheepishly.

"ETA twenty minutes, Jack." Tosh offered, still cursing the heat she felt in her cheeks for the second time that day.

"With me at the wheel you can halve that, Tosh."

"That's what we are all afraid of."

"Quiet, Ianto, I'm concentrating." Jack flashed a patented grin as the other four occupants groaned and gripped their seats a little tighter.

Tosh knew it was going to be a long day and that this was only the beginning.

tbc


	5. TW3 Owen Harper

**A/N: Sorry this has taken a while but work has been nuts. Hopefully I will be posting the next parts sooner and more frequent. Thanks for keeping with me :D  
Many thanks again for most excellent beta from madaboutms from Live Journal it is great to have a sounding board!  
**

****

Owen Harper

_He woke slowly and not very gracefully as his body fought his mind to stay in bed……preferably forever._

_Owen Harper had one hell of a night, well from what he could remember of it anyway. The last thought he could definitely recall was being at his local knocking back Tequila shots with some bird called Brandy, or Candy? Not that it really mattered and not that he particularly cared. _

_Yesterday had settled into his consciousness, lurking like a sinister nightmare ready to strike and render him senseless. The boozy session from the night before did not have the desired effect, he could still remember yesterday. He could still feel the warm sticky wetness of the blood, he could still feel the thin artery weakening with every pulse._

_With a groan he rolled out of bed and stumbled into the shower, forcing images of yesterday from his mind he started to form a plan. Shower, shave then he would take it from there. He wasn't due to work for a few hours yet, it was still early but he needed something to distract him. He allowed the water to drum against his skin, dulling his senses in a vain attempt to hold back the world. Soaping his hair he frowned when his hands returned a shade of pinky brown. FUCK! His breath caught as memories of the previous day slammed back before his eyes, hands trembling he swallowed down the oncoming feelings of panic as he placed his head under the water erasing the physical evidence and scrubbing his scalp so hard it tingled and burned. His breathing hitched as he tried to drown away the last 24 hours. His legs started to give way as he slid down the shower wall sobbing as he lost the battle for composure and wept openly in the private of his own shower, the one place he felt safe enough to come undone, a place no-one could watch him unravel._

_**10 hours previously**_

"I don't know where the hell they have got to Jack, like I've told four times already, something is interfering with the signal."

Owen could almost feel the frustration in Tosh as she spat the words out again for the Captain. Christ he could be dense sometimes. _Keep it up Jack_, he thought, _a pissed off Tosh could be fun….scary, but fun especially if it wasn't you on the receiving end of it._

"OK….Ok" Jack said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture."The last signal you got was from here, yes?"

Owen watched her nod as she never took her eyes from the PDA she held in her hands. He watched as she worried her bottom lip, _Christ it was cute when she did that_. They had lost the signal about two miles away from the hot spot it had been indicating since they left Cardiff. There was evidence of Weevils in the area, post rift activity was definitely in the air but a frustrating hours search later had not come up with anything.

"Right," Jack announced, shaking Owen from his thoughts.

He watched Jack turn to the row of abandoned houses where Tosh last had the signal.

Owen knew what was coming next so he decided to pre-empt. "We split up yeah?"

He saw Jack turn and bestow the Harkness grin.

"Took the words out of my mouth, Owen. You and Tosh take the right, Gwen and Ianto the left and I'll take the one in the middle. Everyone keep eyes and coms open."

Owen checked his weapon as he and Tosh made for the furthermost house. He let her take point, she was already pissed off so he figured there would be no point arguing with her.

"So whaddya reckon Tosh? Weevils decided to go domestic on us, you know settle down, have some kids, get a job?" He got nothing from Tosh but pressed on anyway.

"I can just see it, Weevil soccer mom, dad watching the big game from the couch in his tighty whities."

"Huh?" He watched as she finally tore her gaze from the PDA. He felt his chest tighten as she gazed up at him with that look of bemused confusion she often got when she was immersed with some gadget.

Shaking his head a little to clear it he let the smile slide from his face.

"Forget it Tosh, let's check this house out so we can get the hell out of here."

Once again he let her go first, admiring the view from behind as she unholstered her gun.

_Wow thought Owen, how come I haven't noticed that wiggle before?_

_Fuck Owen….focus! _

Taking a deep breath he paused on one side of the front door while Tosh checked her weapon. He waited for her signal before he nodded back, letting her know he was ready. Raising her leg she kicked in the door as it swung violently on its hinges, the things she did to him.

He swung into the room, weapon held high as together they swept the room but there was nothing there.

They moved through the house but each room was as empty as the last. They worked methodically through the rooms until they came to the last. The first thing that hit Owen when he threw open the door was the smell. He knew instantaneously what it was but if the smell was bad enough then the sight before him made it all the worse. There was blood everywhere, painted on the walls in some macabre interior decorators nightmare.

"Fuck!"

"Owen? What the hell is this?"

Owen could hear the fear behind Tosh's question but there was nothing he could think of to say to take the fear away, not when it settled in his gut as well. There was so much blood and that smell…….god that smell.

He tapped his coms.

"Jack, Ianto, Gwen, come in."

"What have you got Owen?"

"The house was mainly clear except for the last room. Jack, it's covered in blood and smells like the home of more than a few corpses. "

"Bodies?"

"None that we can find here Jack," Tosh cut in, a look of distress cut across her features.

"Ianto? Gwen?"

Owen noted they had been quiet during the discussion.

"Yes Jack?" Gwen's lilt came over the coms.

"Your house clear?"

"We're about to check the upper levels but the bottom is all clear."

"Good, once you have checked that out head over to Owen and Tosh, we need to run some tests on that room."

"Got it Jack." She signed off.

"Owen?"

"Yep on it Jack, we'll start getting th…"

A shrill scream that sounded to Owen like Gwen's sounded across the coms.

"GWEN!"

"IANTO!"

Owen heard Jack yell at the same time as him. He felt his pulse quicken as the adrenalin flooded into his veins. No longer on the slow release timer it had been before.

Next he heard Ianto over the coms.

"Gwen, RUN!"

"No Ianto, I'm not leaving you…."

"Gwen you gotta go, get her out of here, get her out safe, I'll go after the parents."

Owen heard Gwen make one last plea to stay and help but was cut off by the teaboy.

"Get her out safe Gwen, get the others but get her out safe. NOW RUN!"

Jack yelled over the coms.

"On our way Ianto, hang on!"

Owen looked at Tosh for a brief second before they both launched themselves out of the house, desperate to get to their team mates.

_Christ Teaboy_, _what the fuck have you found? _

_tbc_

_Next….Gwen Cooper_

_Home, no place like it and she had never been so pleased to see it after the events of the day. All she wanted was to find Rhys, curl up in his arms and have him hold her so he could hold back the world until she thought she could face it again._


	6. TW3 Gwen Cooper

**Gwen**

_Home, no place like it and she had never been so pleased to see it after the events of the day. All she wanted was to find Rhys, curl up in his arms and have him hold her, just hold back the world until she thought she could face it again. She had seen a lot of things in her short career in Torchwood. From the wonderful and magnificent to the downright scary and disturbing. Today definitely ranked in the latter category._

_From the front door she could hear the TV on in their living room. Taking a deep breath in she paused at the threshold of the door to try and gather herself, feeling and thoughts from the day overwhelmed her and she didn't know if she could handle Rhys' empathy, his concern. One comforting touch would be enough to send her over an edge that she wasn't sure she could crawl back from._

_She could still hear and feel the sobs of the little boy as she held him tightly against her chest as she ran from that house. She could still taste the guilt at the back of her throat as she ran, leaving Ianto to face things on his own. Taking a deep breath she listened carefully as the resonant laughter of Rhys started to filter into her heart, pushing aside some of the angst from the day. The need to get to him now was too much as she tried to calm her shaking hands to unlock the door._

_Finally she got the key in the lock and opened the door, leaning against the frame taking a calming breath but that didn't work. Somehow she knew it wouldn't. Slamming the door behind her she moved into the lounge room in time to see Rhys dislodge himself from the couch._

"_Hiya Love, have a good d….."_

_The words died in his throat as he took in her appearance._

_Christ she thought, I must look as bad as I feel._

"_Oh hey….come here, Love."_

_Walking quickly toward her he held his arms out before enveloping her in his strong arms._

_The dam burst and she cried into his chest. He held her through the shuddering sobs rubbing circles on her back._

"_I've got you now, your safe Love."_

**8 hours earlier**

Gwen followed as Ianto took the lead into the house Jack had assigned them to search. It was so musty and damp that she crinkled her nose at the smell of mould that seemed to hang in the air. Methodically they cleared the rooms on the lower floors and it seemed obvious to her that the place had long been abandoned, not even falling prey to squatters.

"All clear down here, upstairs next?"

Ianto indicated to the stairs as she fell in line to follow him. Gwen inwardly smiled at his initiative. He was no longer the reclusive manservant he was when she first joined and little by little he was revealing himself to them. Oh she doubted they would ever fully know the real Ianto, he was an enigma and so different from her, she wore her heart out on her sleeve and there was not much any of them didn't know about her. Ianto was a mystery, maybe that was what Jack found so alluring. She had to admit the more she found out about him the more she liked him.

Owen's voice shook her out of her reverie.

"Jack, Ianto, Gwen, come in."

"What have you got Owen?"

Gwen heard Jack answer as she and Ianto silently agreed to listen rather than participate. She shared a look with Ianto as he listened and mouthed the word 'bodies' as Jack cut across their exchange asking for an update.

"Ianto? Gwen?"

"Yes Jack?" Gwen's lilt came over the coms.

"Your house clear?"

"We're about to check the upper levels but the bottom is all clear."

"Good, once you've checked that out head over to Owen and Tosh, we need to run some tests on that room."

"Got it Jack." She signed off.

"There's something up there."

Ianto's head indicated to the first door and she could hear it now too. Low voices spoken in comfort, small sobs being wrung out in high pitch.

She tightened her grip on the gun as they approached the door, the murmuring getting louder, the sobs more desperate. Gwen took the lead now indicating their next move with the non-verbal commands Jack drilled into them all as part of field work training.

She braced herself as she tried the door, the handle turning easily and she flung it open with one fluid motion at the same time sweeping the room with gun outstretched. She felt rather than saw Ianto behind her, covering her and doing his own sweep of the room. The sight before them made Gwen blanch as the room span dangerously as she heard Ianto's sharp intake of breath that matched her own.

There was blood, there was mess, and in the middle of it all there was a man lying on the floor holding the hand of a very young little girl.

"Please don't hurt us, don't hurt her, my wife…no….."

The man's voice was weak, hardly discernable over sobbing girl while a menacing figure, tall, broad with soulless eyes that looked to be made out of clay loomed over them both. It moved with alarming intention and Gwen felt the fear and the evil radiating from it.

She screamed at the thing, only barely aware that Ianto had done the same. She watched in horror as the figure grabbed the bleeding man by the ankles and threw him over its shoulder before taking them both by surprise pushing past her and Ianto before either could react. Ianto started after the figure as the man's screams echoed down the long passage.

"Ianto!"

"Gwen, RUN!"

"No Ianto, I'm not leaving you…."

"Gwen you gotta go, get her out of here, get her out safe, I'll go after the parents."

"Ianto wait for the rest…."

"Get her out safe Gwen, get the others but get her out safe NOW RUN!"

She vaguely heard Jack over the coms as she grabbed the crying child from the floor and ran as fast as she could down the stairs.

"Mam……Tad," the child sobbed out against her chest and squirmed slightly.

"It's ok sweetheart," Gwen breathed out.

The child clutched at her desperately and the sobs increased as she reached the bottom of the stairs, running for the front door. She saw Jack running toward her slowing down to take her and the child in.

"What is it Gwen, where's Ianto," Jack asked frantically.

Gwen tried to catch her breath as her heart hammered into her chest. "There was a man, her father, this thing grabbed him and dragged him out…..Ianto went after them Jack….the blood, there was so much blood."

"Get her into the SUV and lock it down."

She hesitated torn between protecting the girl and running back in to salvage what might have been left of the girl's family. Eventually Jack made the decision for her.

"Now Gwen….GO!"

She turned as she reached the SUV and saw Tosh and Owen enter the house a moment after Jack and prayed they would all be alright, she prayed for Ianto, she prayed they would save this little one's parents.

Something told Gwen they were beyond prayers so she held onto the only thing she had left……….hope.

Tbc

Next…..Ianto Jones

_Ianto rubbed his tired eyes as the glow of the monitor illuminated the shadows and lines on his face. Carefully checking over his handy work he made sure no detail remained unchecked as he created an identity, a back-story for a life torn apart._


	7. TW3 Ianto Jones

**Ianto Jones**

_Ianto rubbed his tired eyes as the glow of the monitor illuminated the shadows and lines on his face. Carefully checking over his handy work he made sure no detail remained unchecked as he created an identity, a back-story for a life torn apart. Ok, now that was done he really needed to focus on other things, anything to take his mind off the past few hours._

_Shuffling out from behind the terminal he grabbed the rubbish bag from behind the barista and started to tidy up the Hub. Usually he loved being in the Hub when the others had gone home, the peace that came from blessed silence usually never failed to ground him after tiring long days as a Torchwood operative. Tonight though, the silence weighed heavy on his shoulders._

_He closed his eyes and took a moment to gather himself together, centering himself on the constant water flow down the tower. Images and thoughts pressed against his skull, images flashed in his head long enough to torment but not long enough to hang on to. His breathing gathered pace and he felt his chest tighten. He dropped the bag as the room suddenly started to close in on him, the oxygen in the air thinning and he could feel the panic attack creeping up on him._

_He saw a bloody hand in his, felt the strain of his arms as he held on tight while waiting for help that came too late. He felt Owen's frustration turn to anger, Tosh's desperation turn to guilt, Gwen's tears turn to sobs and Jack's courage to defeat. _

_He focused on driving the images from his mind as he willed his breathing to slow, taking deeper breaths to calm himself. He felt the Hub spin back into view and shook his head in a feeble attempt to rid his mind of the macabre images from earlier. _

_Christ he was tired yet his mind refused to allow him to relax, the thoughts of the day running through his head unbidden. But he needed to keep busy, preoccupy his mind with something else, with anything. He picked up the rubbish bag and made his way around the Hub with a manic intention, bagging the rubbish before pulling out cleaning equipment to start scrubbing away dirt and grime that only he could see._

_Wiping wetness off his face from tears he wasn't aware had fallen, Ianto did the only thing that made sense in his mind……..he cleaned. _

**6 Hours Earlier**

Ianto checked his weapon and took a deep breath before moving off quietly but swiftly in the direction the thing, whatever it was, had dragged the man. Hearing the faint cries he followed slowly and carefully down the long hall of the top story. At the end of the hall Ianto paused outside of the door where he could hear cries from within. Should he go in or wait for back up? The man was in bad shape, and even with only basic field first aid training, Ianto knew the man needed assistance, and fast or they would be dragging a corpse out.

Ianto swallowed hard as he thought about what he would at the end of the hall. The thing that grabbed the man seemed familiar yet so alien. It had all the appearance of a man yet it was big, too big and moved somewhat clumsily, like animated clay.

At the threshold of the door Ianto could hear the whimpered cries of the man behind the door but it wasn't until another voice entered the mix that Ianto made his decision to act. Gripping his gun tighter he checked the safety was off and braced the door. Silently counting to three Ianto shouldered the door open swinging his gun out in front of him.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he encountered behind the door. The trail of blood he had followed led to the crumpled, moaning form of the man but it didn't stop with him. The trail grew, spreading out beyond the room in a limitless crimson gore that painted the walls as well as the floor. The all too familiar metallic tang hung in the hair, permeating on his tongue and up his nostrils as he fought the need to blanch as it overwhelmed his senses.

"Help them…"

The weak cries of the vulnerable form at his feet shook him into action as he bent down to check on the man's status. The man merely shook his head and repeated his request, raising a shaky hand.

"Help them, my wife…."

Ianto's gaze followed the man's hand, his own hands still tightly clenched around his gun.

His heart beat faster and is eyes widened at the grisly sight before him. A woman hung on the wall amongst a thick sheet of blood. Ianto jerked back and swore as movement of the prone figure alerted him to the fact that she was still alive.

"Ianto!"

Ianto ignore Jacks call over the comms, not in ignorance, he just couldn't. He was transfixed by the scene around him. Moving towards the woman, his mind was already working out a way to get her down. Her injuries looked even worse close up and as she groaned Ianto realized she was still conscious, that alone couldn't be a good thing. Busy assessing the situation, Ianto almost missed the soft desperate whisper.

"Help him."

"Shhh it's ok, we'll help you and your husband."

"My son…..it has our son."

"Ianto!! COME IN!"

Ianto startled at the shout Jack let off in his ear.

"Jack, second floor, end of the hallway. GET HERE NOW!"

"On our way."

Ianto turned his attention back to the woman and looking closer, realised what was holding her to the wall. Hooks protruded through both her shoulders that he knew if moved, she would most likely bleed out.

"Hang on we have a medic on his way."

Ianto spied a small table in the corner of the room, rushing to it he dragged it over to support the woman's body weight, still murmuring under her breath.

"Our son…….help, our son, he ran, but that thing……it went after him."

"Where did he run to?"

The woman raised her eyes and pointed to the hole in the ceiling that led to the roof crawl space.

"Hang on, my friends will be here soon."

Needing both hands to lever himself up Ianto holstered his weapon, preparing to rush off into the crawl space after the child. Just as he did he heard Jack and the others at the door.

"Fuck! What the hell…." Owen muttered, immediately rushing to assess the injuries of the man on the floor.

"Ianto?"

He turned to face Jack, ignoring the pallor of Tosh's face as she swayed slightly beside Jack as she looked in horror at the woman on the wall.

"Their son, Jack it's after their son, he ran to the roof space."

Jack nodded without asking any more questions and Ianto watched as he barked instructions.

"Tosh, help Owen here and get them out. Ianto and I are going hunting."

As Jack braced his hands together, Ianto stepped into them for a boost into the hole in the ceiling re-drawing his weapon as soon as he righted his feet . Ianto was relieved to get out of that room but feeling ever so vulnerable as he breached into the darkness above. He turned and helped Jack up into the dark space as they both waited for their eyes to adjust to the din.

"Which way?" Jack asked glancing around the deceptively large space. Ianto's reply was cut off by a crash and yelp towards the men's left side.

"This way I guess…….stay close to me."

Ianto resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the last comment, this was one time he was more than willing to give Jack the lead.

They set off together, the mission clear. Save the boy, destroy the thing, whatever it was.

Next: Captain Jack Harkness

_It was quiet and peaceful across the water and normally he would find his own peace within it but not tonight .The events of the day played heavily on his mind._


	8. TW3 Captain Jack Harkness

**Thanks to those who are following the story, enjoying and reviewing....reviews always make my day so thanks to all for the kind words!**

_Jack was brooding…….. days like this always made his past so much closer, made it a little harder to bury his past choices and actions. From his vantage point on the roof he could see all over his city. He watched over the lights of the moving traffic as it painted a pretty picture of swirling colour before turning his attention towards the bay. It was quiet and peaceful across the water and normally he would find his own peace within it but not tonight .The events of the day played heavily on his mind._

_The truth of the matter was he'd had worse days and been in worse situations but none had seemed to affect his team quiet like this. They had been shattered and for once Jack had no idea how to move them forward. For the first time in quite a while he felt them slipping away from him and there was nothing he could think of to make that better and frankly that scared the shit out of him._

_Jack closed his eyes to the bay as the metallic tang of the room in that house permeated his senses. He had barely been able to hold onto his lunch let alone his title of leader when he'd entered that room. Seeing that woman trussed up on the wall, all the blood, and seeing the desperate look on Ianto's face as he followed him into that godforsaken hole._

_Shuddering, Jack forced his eyes open and swallowed to get rid of the taste of blood and death, bringing himself back to the roof, back to the bay. If he was honest with himself he took over as leader of Torchwood three to play the hero, save the world, protect humans from the alien threat but no-one ever taught him how to save the human race from itself. _

_Jack gave a heavy sigh, pushing back on over a millennia worth of memories. _

"_Come on Harkness, your no use to anyone up here on this roof."_

_Turning his back to the bay he thought back to his little band of heroes, that's what they were regardless of how they were all feeling at this point in time; he just needed to find a way to convince them of that again._

_**6 Hours earlier**_

"Ianto?"

Jack tapped his comms, holding his breath waiting for Ianto to answer. Together with Owen and Tosh they crept in the house as quietly as possible, immediately searching the downstairs ensuring it was secure before exposing themselves to the upper levels.

"Damn it! Why's he not answering?"

He felt Tosh touch his arm and he stopped. Turning he saw her hold her finger to her lips in a universal signal to listen. Cocking his head to the side he heard feint movement coming from the rooms above, low voices and groaning. Jack had an overwhelming urge to find Ianto now as he shouted in his Bluetooth, all thought of stealth gone now.

"Ianto!! COME IN!"

_Answer…….god just answer….._

"Jack, second floor end of the hallway, GET HERE NOW!"

"On our way."

Jack took the lead, bounding up the stairs two at a time only just aware of the other two following close behind. Jack tried to ignore the blood trail that led the way to the room at the end of the hall where he could now hear scraping, like furniture being rearranged. As Jack reached the threshold he drew a sharp breath in as the sight before him made his normally strong stomach lurch.

"Fuck! What the hell…." He heard Owen mutter as he pushed passed to get to the bloody form on the floor.

Jack stared at Ianto, who was conversing with what looked to be a body nailed to the wall, something that Jack had a hard time tearing his eyes from.

"Ianto?" It came out as a whispered sigh, weaker than Jack intended.

"Their son, Jack, it's after their son, he ran to the roof space."

Jack didn't have to think about it, he knew what he needed to do. He would save the boy and destroy the creature that may well have destroyed this family.

He immediately jumped into action, giving orders. "Tosh, help Owen here and get them out. Ianto and I are going hunting."

Bending down, he braced his hands to give Ianto a leg up before being pulled into the space after him. Jack wasn't overly keen on the idea of going in as blind as this but he'd been in worse situations. Allowing a moment to let his eyes adjust, he swallowed down a panicked feeling of claustrophobia as the darkness slowly dissipated and his eyes adjusted. He needed control back; he needed to beat this unwanted fear into submission.

"Which way?" Jack asked. But before the young man could answer there was a crash to the left of them.

Putting on his brave Captain voice he turned to Ianto.

"This way I guess…….stay close to me."

Keeping his gun steady, he cautiously approached where the noise came from. In his peripheral vision he could see Ianto, his own gun drawn. As they moved closer to the target, Jack could see the huge shape of a man, well it was like a man only bigger, its movements wooden and almost clumsy. It was leaning over something and Jack could guess what that was by the small heartbreaking whimpering he could hear.

"Please, let me go….."

The thing let off a grunt as it leant down and the boy let out another whimper.

Jack moved closer to Ianto, enough to whisper in his ear. "I'll draw it out, you go for the boy."

Jack moved before Ianto could protest and walked up close to the thing before saying, "Hey ugly! How 'bout playing with the big boys?"

Jack didn't need to see the eye roll from Ianto but hey, he was improvising. Sometimes he lived up to the nickname Mickey had given him.

He watched cautiously as the thing rose up and slowly turned to regard him. It had strange marks on its forehead that were very familiar, he just couldn't place where he knew them from. Shaking off the thought he stretched his gun out and took aim, firing off two bullets in the torso. He watched as the bullets turned into dust as they attempted to enter its body like he was shooting a concrete wall. The creature stopped, cocking its head to the side as if Jack was a minor annoyance before turning away from him and back to the boy.

Jack fired off three more rounds into the back of it, Ianto fired too, desperate to draw it away from its victim. This action got its attention and it rose, growling and moving towards the source of its irritation. Jack held his ground, anticipating the attack but to his horror, it turned its attention to Ianto.

"Jack, those marks…….I know what this is…"

Jack watched Ianto back up quickly as the figure lashed out and speed towards the young man.

"Damn it!"

With no thought for his own safety, Jack launched himself at the creature as hard as he could forcing it backwards as he braced himself to hit the floor. To his horror, they didn't stop at the floor .Jack felt the ceiling give way as they continued to fall, breaking through into the room below. The next floor came rushing up fast and splintered around them as they continued the journey southward. He tried desperately to separate from the body falling with him knowing the floor below would be the last stop. He knew the landing would be rough but he tried to relax his muscles and prepared for impact.

He felt every bit of the bone shuddering stop as he tried desperately to roll. His head snapped back and hit the floor, stars blurring his vision as he turned to see the thing already on its feet and walking back to finish what it started. Jack tried weakly to raise himself off the ground, desperately trying to rejoin the battle, to stop this thing from making its way back to his people but it was no use and he sunk down again.

The last thought through his mind was the recognition of the symbols on the head of the creature. He knew what it was, he knew what to do to stop it but before he couldn't move as blackness encroached and engulfed him as he lost his fight for consciousness.

tbc


	9. TW3 Owen and Tosh

**Owen Harper**

_Owen killed the ignition while gazing out of the front windscreen taking in the sight of the street ahead. It was deserted this early in the morning, the residents of the street safely in their beds - sleeping, dreaming, fucking. _

_He sighed, resting his head on his hands that were wrapped around the steering wheel. He turned slightly to get a look at the house he had pulled up outside of. A soft yellow glow shone out from behind the curtain of the front room, like a beacon calling to him, telling him to follow the light. He wasn't sure he would be welcome at this time of the morning but he needed to be close to someone. Someone who understood what it was like to feel isolated and alone._

_Still shaky from the earlier meltdown in his shower, he couldn't think straight. He fidgeted in his seat and stared between his legs to the floor. What was he doing? He had no right to assume he was entitled to comfort her or expect any in return. It had seemed like such a great idea when he had jumped in his car but now he found he didn't have courage to go and knock on her door. _

**Toshiko Sato**

_Toshiko woke slowly, tensing and stretching the muscles in her neck as she worked out the kinks that came with falling asleep on her couch._

_Her hand flopped over the side, knocking over the bottle of wine from the night before. Jumping into action she grabbed it before its contents could do any damage but realized she needn't have bothered. She had drunk it all and passed out on the couch. Swinging her legs over the side Toshiko sat up and scrubbed a hand over her face trying to brush away the fatigue. _

_An oppressive silence settled around her, pushing at her senses and engulfing her as she bit back tears over the thought of just how alone she felt. Needing to make some noise she got to her feet and marched the empty bottle to the bin. When she walked back into the lounge room she noticed car headlights dancing across her front curtain, stopping right outside. _

_Curious, she walked to the window, glancing out of the crack of curtain so she could remain undetected. She was surprised to recognise Owen's car out front. She could count the times Owen had been at her place on one hand and none of those times had been at this time of the morning. It wasn't hard to figure out what had brought him to her house morning. But he was just sitting there, not moving._

_Toshiko knew he was out there debating his decision to come over, so she made it for him. Putting on her cardigan, she walked out into the cool morning air knowing what she needed to do. _

_**Owen Harper**_

_A sharp tap against the passenger window sent him jerking upward, swearing violently as adrenalin imploded in his chest. _

_Grappling for the weapon he kept in the middle console he ripped around pointing the offending object at his would be attacker. Instead of the six foot homicidal maniac he had conjured in his head he was presented with the giggling form of Tosh and instead of the automatic weapon pointing at her it was a day old banana he had forgotten about yesterday._

"_Fuck!"_

_He let the banana slide out of his hands and once again he found his head on the steering wheel as he tried to catch his breath. Tosh was still giggling as she opened his passenger side door._

"_Hmmm strange perve loitering in his car armed and dangerous………think I better call the cops."_

"_You scared the shit out of me Tosh."_

"_Not intended but oh so funny."_

_He watched as she turned to walk back to her apartment and his heart fell out of his chest._

_She paused and turned slightly calling back over her shoulder, "You coming?"_

_Swallowing hard he grappled with his seatbelt, got out of his car and locked it before following her inside._

**Earlier**

"What the hell was that?" Owen snapped his head up as a mighty crash reverberated through the house, followed by another.

"With any luck the end to whatever started all of this."

He glanced over at Tosh who was applying field dressings to the unconscious man's injuries.

"How's he doing?"

"Well to me the wounds look mainly superficial, maybe a few stitches?"

"I'm not liking the head wound and the fact he is unconscious, we'll have to keep an eye on that."

She nodded while running fingers over the graze on the man's head.

"How's she doing?" Tosh asked without looking up.

"Not good, we have to get her out of here. She's lost a lot of blood……we may have to move her but…."

"What?"

"These hooks, where they are there's no telling what damage they have done, they could be the only thing at the moment preventing her from bleeding out entirely."

"So, we leave her here she dies, we move her, she dies?"

"Basically yes."

"Christ, now I know why I would rather deal with computers."

"Now I remember why I gave up emergency medicine."

"So what do we do? If that thing gets past Ianto and Jack we can't just stay here Owen, we're sitting ducks."

Before Owen could answer a pair of small feet appeared dangling down through the hole in the ceiling his boss and colleague had disappeared only moments before.

"Owen, Tosh….some help please?" Ianto called down, holding onto the scared child.

Tosh rose to help ease the boy to firmer ground.

"Is he ok?" Owen asked, not needing any more complications at this stage.

"Far as I can tell yes." Came the muffled reply as he watched Ianto slip back down through the hole, amazed at his ability to make it look graceful, dignified even.

Owen made a cursory assessment of the young boy who then moved out of Tosh's grasp and flung himself down at his father's chest. The medic satisfied with Ianto's diagnosis turned to him and asked,

"What happened up there?"

"It went to attack me and Jack tackled it but they broke through the floors."

"The crashing?" Owen asked.

"Yep. We've got to get these people out of here. That thing…I think it's specifically after this family. I don't know why but they are not safe here."

At that moment Gwen's panicked voice crackled through the comms.

"What's going on in there? Talk to me guys?"

"We're here Gwen, well all bar Jack." Owen answered.

"What the hell is going on Owen?"

"I think Ianto's about to tell us."

Ianto took a deep breath before answering, "It's a Golem."

"Did you hit your head up there, Teaboy? We're not talking about a quest for someone's 'precious' here, this is way beyond battle for middle earth."

"No Owen, not Gollum but **a** Golem. G-O-L-E-M, as in bringer of death, Jewish folklore."

"Come on Ianto, those things are just myth and legend to scare little kosher kids to be good for Hanukkah." Gwen scoffed.

"Yes Gwen and Weevils are just someone's Halloween costume gone wrong."

Owen glanced at Tosh hoping to see the same disbelief reflecting back in her eyes but she looked strangely satisfied with Ianto's explanation.

"Ianto, those things don't just materialize out of nowhere, someone has to be controlling it." Tosh offered.

"I know. This must be one hell of a revenge plot."

"So oh knowledgeable Teaboy, how do we kill it?"

"The symbols on its head, it's the Hebrew word for Emet, meaning truth. Remove the first letter and your left with Met, meaning death."

"How do you know all of this?" Owen asked

"You should know by now I know…."

"Yeah, yeah… everything. I get it. So what are you thinking?"

"We get the really big gun, and then we blow its fucking head off."

"Good plan."

"I'll break out the heavy artillery, get it in the house." Gwen offered.

"Thanks Gwen, what about the kid?"

"I can secure her in the SUV. She'll be safe there."

"Great, we have to get these people out of here first." Ianto replied.

"Only one problem with that, we move her she could bleed out." Owen countered.

"If that thing comes back for them we may not have a choice." Tosh said.

"Then let's only resort to that if we need to. Ianto can you carry him out?" Owen indicated to the husband on the floor and Ianto nodded.

"Gwen, better call paramedics we're gonna need to move quick when we do move her."

"I'll take the boy." Tosh pulled the bewildered little boy from his father's side but was met with resistance.

Ianto leant down to the boy so he was face level. "I'll take care of him. He needs you to be brave and go with Tosh, she'll keep you safe. Trust me, okay?"

The boy hesitated for a brief second before nodding at Ianto and accepting Tosh's outstretched hand.

Ianto waited until Tosh was just out of the door before bending down to pull the man off the floor. As he did so, he felt a jerk as a hand busted through the flooring and latched onto the man's legs dragging him down.

"Ianto, grab onto him, don't let him go," Owen yelled.

Ianto wrapped his arms around the man's torso in a macabre game of tug of war as Owen looked on in frustration. To help Ianto he would have to stop working on his patient. But if he didn't help Ianto they may lose the man instead.

Tosh turned back to the room at his shouts. She drew did her weapon but not letting go of the boy who was now struggling in her grip to get to his father. Ready to spring into action she was stopped in her tracks by Owen's assertion.

"Run Tosh, get him out of here," Owen watched the conflict in her face but could see she knew he was right. "Go! Get him out and help Gwen to find Jack."

Tosh hurried down the passage hailed Gwen, "Gwen, I need you to get a lock on Jack then take the heavy artillery to him."

"What's going on Tosh?"

"The Golem, it's trying to get the father."

"I'm on my way."

******

"Hang on Ianto," Owen shouted.

"I don't know how long I can hold him," Ianto said through gritted teeth.

Groaning alerted him to the fact the man had woken. "Let me go."

"No!" Ianto looked desperate, the strain causing beads of sweat to streak down his face.

Owen made the decision to help and launched himself into the game of human tug of war as Ianto and the man were steadily being pulled out of the room.

"Save her.," the man rasped as the force of being pulled became too much.

"He's right Owen, get her out of here, I can't hold it for long but we can buy you some time."

"Ianto no……let me help."

"No use Owen, you heard him…..save her. Gah…."

Ianto tightened his grip further as the beast pulled harder.

Owen swallowed the bile that had threatened in the back of his throat and turned back to his patient. "I'm sorry darlin', this is going to hurt like hell."

With a small nod to Ianto, Owen released her as quickly and carefully as he could off the wall, and put her over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. Ignoring her screams, he ran, not stopping until he got her outside on the grass.

Tosh met him with another med kit from the SUV and he began to work on the woman again, trying to stem the flow of blood sustained from the crucifixion type wounds.

"Ambulance is on its way."

"Not fast enough Tosh, it's gonna be too late."

A crash and a yell came from the house; Owen tried to ignore it and concentrated on staving the blood loss as the woman's life quickly ebbed away

TBC


	10. TW3 Gwen Cooper pt 2

Hi there! Sorry this has been so weird in posting, it has been sporadic to put it mildly so thanks to everyone for sticking with it! I appreciate everyone who has reviewed, alerted and favourited.....it is wonderful encouragement and very much appreciated! This is nearly over and I will be updating more regularly from now on. Thanks to madaboutms from L.J for beta!

**Gwen Cooper**

_Gwen lay awake staring at the ceiling in her bedroom, and listened to the rhythmic rise and fall of her husband's snoring, having fallen asleep to its melody hours before._

_He had certainly earned his husband stripes tonight when she came through the door. He never questioned her, never expected an explanation, just held her until she'd stopped sobbing and then set about creating a normal night in. He drew her a bath, made a home cooked supper and cuddled with her on the couch without making any demands of her. Still raw from the events of the day it was these moments she appreciated the most._

_It's not that she didn't want to tell Rhys what had happened it's just that…..it was so hard to explain to anyone who didn't live through it, impossible to get them to understand the sheer nature of it._

_She manoeuvred herself out of bed carefully so as not to disturb him, padded to the kitchen and switched the kettle on. _

_Thinking back to that torn little family made her eyes water all over again, the devastation that thing caused had overwhelmed them all, and to think it had been caused by someone wanting revenge, someone they hadn't been able to track and that was a terrifying thought. It could all happen again and they would be just as unprepared as they'd been today._

_Her mobile vibrated on the bench and broke her thoughts signalling a text message from Tosh._

_Smiling, she sent back her reply, switched off the kettle and found some clean clothes in the laundry. Taking time to write a short good morning note to Rhys, she placed it on the nightstand beside him._

_Looking down to the peaceful form of her husband she bent down and landed a soft kiss on his head. "I love you, you big idiot"_

_Snuffling slightly, a curious smile graced his lips and she smiled back before grabbing her bag and set off to face a new day._

**Earlier**

"Gwen, I need you to get a lock on Jack and then take the heavy artillery to him."

"What's going on Tosh?"

"The Golem, it's trying to get the father."

"I'm on my way."

Gwen had already started assembling the gun once she knew what they were up against, finally grateful for something to do other than sitting around on babysitting duties while her colleagues dealt with god knew what.

She thought about locking the SUV so the child was secure when Tosh emerged from the house dragging a small boy behind her.

"Get it to Jack, I'll take care of them Gwen, be careful."

"Ambulance is on its way Tosh."

She didn't wait for the reply and hurried off into the house, juggling the tracker in one hand while hauling the gun in the other. Following the signature on the PDA, she moved as silently as she could to the back of the house.

"Arghhh…NO!"

The scream was Ianto's and it came from upstairs as a deep growl drew her attention to a room to her right.

"Ianto?" she whispered into her Bluetooth.

"Ianto?"

There was no answer; he must have lost his comms in the struggle. Biting her lip, she carefully pushed forward to the source of the noise staring through a crack in the door. She could see the Golem's impossibly big hands wrapped around some legs dangling from a gaping hole in the ceiling. She could see Ianto had his arms wrapped around the father's torso, his face set in a grimace, his body practically shaking from the strain of the struggle. He needed help, and soon.

Juggling the gun against her hip, she glanced down to the PDA that was locked on Jack. The green dot across the screen was moving which meant one thing; Jack was back in the game. Blowing out a relieved sigh she hailed their leader, albeit in a whisper.

"Jack?"

"Gwen?"

He sounded strained; this must have been a violent one as he was always a little shaky when he first revived.

"Gwen report! Get me up to speed."

"I'm on my way to you, Tosh and Owen have the woman and boy outside and are calling for medical assistance."

"And the father? Ianto…."

"Ianto has him upstairs but that thing has them trapped, they need help. Ianto's comms are out, I'm outside the room now."

"That thing, you gotta know how to kill it, I know how we get rid of it."

"Yep already there, Jack. I've brought in the heavy artillery. Ianto thought removing the head should do it?"

"Trust him to know. That should do it, alright."

"Jack, I can get in there long enough to distra….."

A loud growl cut her words off, the Golem becoming impatient with its game.

"Shit! You got that gun ready Gwen?"

"Yes Jack."

"I'm on my way. Get in there and help Ianto."

"On it!"

She dropped the PDA and brought the gun up to a firing position. Without wasting anymore time, she kicked viciously at the door as it gave way, swinging violently off its hinges. Before the Golem had a chance to react she aimed carefully for its head, hesitating for a second.

"I can't hang on Gwen….SHOOT IT!" Ianto pleaded.

She squeezed the trigger, the bullet's cadence echoing around the room. In the same moment, the ceiling gave way causing Ianto and the man to crash heavily to the floor.

It was when she looked up into the eyes of the beast and then to its twisted smirk to see she had missed her target and couldn't help but think that this was it for all of them.


	11. Ianto Jones and Captain Jack Harkness

_**Ianto Jones**_

_The muscles in his arms burnt with exhaustion but still, he couldn't stop. He had to make it clean again._

_The pain between his shoulder blades was like a knife slicing through his muscles while an imaginary monster seemed intent on twisting it inside, making the hole bigger and forcing the pain to radiate out through his arms and down into his fingertips._

"_Gotta make it clean, why isn't it clean?"_

_His sobs where a pitiful sound, echoing through the hub, as he fought a losing battle with the floor, trying to erase a hundred years of use. Scrubbing harder now, Ianto watched as his hands moved determinedly back and forth over the hard concrete mesmerised by the constant rhythm and the bright pink foam covering the area he was attempting to clean. _

_Frowning he muttered to himself, "It should be getting cleaner."_

_Looking down, he let out an anguished cry, realising his hands were covered in blood._

_He could feel his throat closing over as he fought for breath, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. _

_With a yell of exasperation, Ianto threw the scrubbing brush hard against the wall and watched it break against the unforgiving brick. _

_He sat back on his haunches and closed his eyes, rocking back and forth as more images haunted his mid. He could still feel his arms straining against the helpless man's torso, he could still feel his own fear too, as he fought for the man's life. His body trembled fighting for control of his emotions, yet it felt somehow soothing, cathartic so he fell back on the cold floor of the hub and let go._

_**Jack Harkness**_

_Jack felt his pulse quicken as he neared the hub, the anxiousness to get inside making him move just a bit faster to the perception filter. Apart from the space that the roofs if Cardiff gave him to think, the Hub was the only other place he could sit and find order in all the chaos. Perhaps it was his connection to the rift that ordered his thoughts, or maybe it was the familiar surrounds he had called home for so long. Yet, the urge to get the Hub tonight had more to do with needing to be close to Ianto. _

_Jack was done with being alone for tonight._

_The first thing he noticed when he descended into the Hub was the smell. The sharp tang of bleach was his first clue that he had left Ianto alone for too long, the second came when a loud sob drew his attention to a slumped figure on the floor by Toshiko's workstation. At the sight of his lover curled up on the floor sobbing, Jack felt his heart plummet to the pit of his stomach._

_**Ianto Jones**_

_He felt two strong arms wrap around his waist and gently lift him to his feet before being pressed against a strong and familiar chest. The unique smell of Jack won out over the bleach and he breathed in deeply. Gentle hands swept back and forth over his back and warm breath and soothing words in his ear._

_Ianto felt order and control slowly being returned to him as he strengthened in the embrace. _

_Jack loosened his arms slightly and Ianto felt himself being drawn back from Jack, meeting the Captains blue eyes with his own. He felt the gentle touch of thumbs to his cheeks as they brushed away wet tracks._

"_Come on, sit over here for me."_

_He let himself be led to the couch, expecting Jack to sit beside him, grabbing his coat when he tried to walk away. _

"_It's ok, I'm just getting something for those hands. I won't leave you alone"_

_The caress to his face was reassuring, the kiss dropped on his forehead comforting as he let go of the coat, trusting in his return._

**Earlier**

Ianto's arms were quivering with the strain, he couldn't hold on much longer. The man, who only moments before had feebly asked him to save his wife, was now unconscious. At least he thought he was, anything beyond that was too hard to contemplate.

This thing was relentless, every time Ianto thought he had made ground he felt the Golem increase its pull and it felt like his arms were being wrenched out of their sockets.

Where was Gwen with that damn gun? Surely Jack had revived by now, so where the hell were they?

The situation was becoming more helpless as his arms weakened with each passing second.

A roar from the Golem and another hard pull tore a scream from Ianto, who felt the muscles across his shoulder blades rip, the pressure now too much. How easy it would be to just let go, give in to the creatures needs and let him have the man who was probably beyond saving anyway. But that wasn't who Ianto was, he would keep going until he saved this man or the creature won.

Looking down into the room below he tried not to let snarling figure intimidate him, even if inside it scared the crap out of him. He knew he was losing, He felt the fight slowly being lost when the door to the room below crashed open and Gwen burst in pointing the massive gun at the creature, who was yet to notice the intrusion.

With renewed strength, he tightened his grip and waited for her to shoot. He saw her hesitation and with the last ounce of his strength he yelled, "I can't hang on Gwen….SHOOT IT!"

But it was a fraction too late as he felt the floor beneath him give way and he crashed to the ground beside the man. Winded, Ianto opened his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath as stared into the vacant eyes of the man that had been the instrument in a human tug of war. Ianto didn't need Owen's medical degree to know the victim was dead.

"Oh god it won't reload, it won't RELOAD!" Gwen cried.

Ianto quickly got to his knees, his breath slowly catching up with him. He looked up to see the Golem now turning its attention to Gwen as it descended upon her while she hopelessly fiddled with the gun.

He brought himself to his feet desperate bid to help his colleague. "Hey! Over here."

Ianto picked up a piece of ceiling and hurled it towards the Golem, hitting it in the back. It growled but didn't break its stride as a long violent swing of its arm narrowly missed the Welsh woman's head. Gwen ducked, losing her balance in the process and toppled to the floor. Ianto rushed at it, throwing himself on its back as the creature reared up, trying to shake him loose. He tried desperately to hang on but once again his strength was waning and he felt himself slipping and hitting the floor for the second time. At least he had bought Gwen enough time to get out of harms way.

The Golem descended over him, its blank emotionless stare more menacing than any thing he had faced before and Ianto knew he was out of options and waited for the final blow to come.

Instead, gunshots rang out, and the creature turned to face an angry Captain with his Webley trained at its head. Ianto watched as Jack's aim was true, pumping enough bullets to the spot on its forehead, erasing the ancient letters. The creature fell, its bulky weight crushing Ianto beneath, once again forcing the air from his lungs.

Blackness crept around the edges of his eyes and he tried in vain to answer Jack when he called his name, but no words would come and he gave in to the dark.


	12. TW3 Jack

**Earlier **

"Ianto?" Jack called out.

Oh god….please don't tell me I was too late……god please not that.

"Gwen help me."

His second rushed over to help roll the Golem of Ianto who had thankfully started to come round.

When Ianto tried to sit up, Jack pressed his hand on the younger man's chest to keep him down, scanning his body for injuries.

"I'm fine Jack. Help me up."

Jack was dubious, but grateful, that Ianto was alert and gladly helped him to his feet, resting a hand on his lower back to steady him when he wobbled slightly.

He looked questionably at Ianto to make sure he could stand on his own, not moving until he got a confirming nod.

"Is it…..Jack is it dead?"

He turned to see Gwen looking down at the prone form that had caused so much chaos.

"Yes, it's dead." Gwen confirmed.

"So is he." Ianto countered sadly

Jack watched as Ianto shakily squatted on the floor next to the man he had tried so desperately to save.

"Gwen? Let Owen and Tosh know it's over, we'll handle the clean up here."

She nodded walked out, leaving Jack and Ianto alone. Jack knelt by Ianto and put a hand on his shoulder as the younger hung his head in sorrow.

"Who would have done this Jack?"

Ianto looked to Jack as if he had all the answers. God, he wanted to have all the answers.

"I don't know."

"They could do this again and we couldn't do anything to stop them."

"Yes." It wasn't really a question but Jack wanted to answer it anyway, that was the one thing out of this he was sure of, also the one thing that didn't help in the slightest.

Shifting tact Jack hailed the rest of the team. "Ok Gang, tell me where we stand."

"Ambulance just picked up the woman and the kids, woman is in a bad way but still hanging on," Owen informed Jack over the comms. "Bloody miracle she's still alive if you ask me, still along way from being out of the woods but she's still breathing…it's a start."

"Retcon?"

"Already administered, Jack."

"Good, I need all of you in here, bring two body bags, standard clean up kit, jobs not done yet."

_**Captain Jack Harkness**_

_Walking back to Ianto with antiseptic and dressings in hand he took in the sight of the young man on the couch, his head resting back with his eyes shut as the day caught up with him. A hundred scenarios ran through Jack's head, none scarier than the silence he got when the Golem landed on top of Ianto._

"_Stop staring at me and come and sit down."_

_Jack shook off the morbid thoughts and fixed a grin on his face and rejoined Ianto on the couch. _

_He gently lifted Ianto's hands and winced when he saw the raw red skin and realised it wasn't going to matter how careful he was, this was going to hurt. Dabbing the antiseptic, he tried to ignore the hisses escaping Ianto's lips._

"_Ianto what where you thinking?"_

"_I couldn't stop, I just needed it to be clean, and after today I had to make it…..I couldn't save…."_

"_Oh Yan, you hung on longer than anyone could have expected you to and that thing would not have stopped until it had killed the entire family."_

_Jack gently brushed the tears that had spilled over onto his cheek. _

_With a small smile Ianto replied,_

"_I know…I just had a moment, sorry."_

"_No, I'm sorry, sorry I left here tonight."_

"_Don't Jack"_

"_No, Ianto, I knew you needed me tonight I should have stayed I should…"_

"_Jack, despite appearances I __**can **__take care of myself, I know tonight was not the best example of that."_

"_But I should have been here."_

"_Stop it Jack!"_

_Jack finished his first aid, carefully winding the dressings across the tips of Ianto's fingers where the skin had worn through, and placed the antiseptic and unused dressings on the ground before he spoke again._

"_You needed me to be here,"_

_He felt Ianto touch his cheek as he turned his face so they were looking directly at each other._

"_Tell me Jack, you where on a roof, yes?"_

_Jack nodded._

"_Then you where exactly where you were meant to be. Listen to me Jack. We all have different methods of coping. Owen deals by drinking his bodyweight in hard liquor and finding some random girl to lose himself in. Tosh would have polished off the last reserves of red and fell asleep on her couch and Gwen has Rhys. You do rooftops and I clean. I'm not saying its ideal but it's what we do and once we have done it then it makes it easier somehow to find a way forward."_

_Jack was quietly contemplating this as he ran his fingers over the dressings on Ianto's hand._

"_Sometimes it feels as if I need to gather you all together. Protect you all."_

_Deciding to reason with Jack in a language the Captain understood Ianto leaned forward and kissed Jack softly on the lips._

"_Feel like making a bet with me?"_

_Jack looked at him quizzically._

"_What about?"_

"_In 10 minutes Tosh, Owen and Gwen are going to come through that door because at the end of the day we will find one another and we'll take care of one another."_

"_Ianto, you can't know that?"_

"_Will you take the bet?"_

"_What am I wagering?"_

"_They come through that door in….eight minutes and breakfast for all. Fully cooked breakfast that is, on you."_

"_What if they don't?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_What do I get if they don't?"_

"_Hmmm, ok special Ianto Jones style massages every night for a week."_

"_Oh deal!"_

_As they shook on it Jack noticed the self-satisfied smug look on Ianto's face and it made him decidedly uneasy._

_They sat out the eight minutes in silence, comfortably leaning against one another. Ianto's smirk never left his face and Jack had a feeling he was so going to lose this bet but he really didn't care, it was worth the look on the Welshman's face._

_Sure enough, right on queue the alarm sounded as the rest of his team entered the hub arguing about some movie trivia. Delighted, Ianto stood up and offered his hand to Jack and pulled the older man with him. _

"_Oi Ianto……tell me I'm right," the Doctor shouted._

"_Oh give it up Owen…" Tosh replied._

_Jack watched in delight as Ianto went to join the others and settle what ever it as they where arguing about. _

_His team - bonded in blood, in simple camaraderie and that's what made it all worth it in the end. _

"_Ha! Told you Owen!"_

"_Oh what would you know, Teaboy."_

"_Well I do know Jack is buying us all a cooked breakfast."_

"_Wow, cleaning the moths out of your coin purse hey Jack?"_

"_Watch it Owen or we'll leave you behind. Come on, I know the perfect spot."_

_Jack grinned as he followed his team out of the Hub and out onto the Plass. _


	13. Epilogue

**A/N: Yeah I know....I'm bad! So sorry to take so long to finish this off, modern day life seems to be getting faster and faster!  
Many thanks to those who are reading this and have stuck with the story through some erratic postings from the owner! I will try to be better next time!**

**Epilogue**

It was a perfect day really, the sun shone like a beacon, bathing everything in its path with a warm glow that could be felt from the inside out.

Beginning the arduous task of drying out the ground after the wet winter, the sun was a welcome sign that the seasons had changed.

Captain Jack Harkness watched his team as they made their way through the park. It was strange to see them framed by lush greens for a change instead of the grey of the hub. It looked good on them.

But even in this new environment, they were still working.

Owen was lagging behind them, on the phone to the hospital checking on the mother they pulled from that house of horrors only a few days before. Tosh and Ianto were discussing the scan they had run and were still running on the area surrounding that house, trying to get some sort of idea about who had targeted the family and why. So far, to the extreme frustration of all of them, their search had yielded no results.

"That's great, yeah thanks for that…..yeah bloody oath she's lucky! Thanks for the update."

Owen shut his phone as he caught up with the rest of them.

"So I take it the mother pulled through?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, although god knows how."

"Well they needed a break. You do good work Dr Harper."

Jack smiled as his medic squirmed, shrugging off the compliment.

"So what have you two found?" Owen indicated to Tosh and Ianto, deflecting the attention.

"Nothing as yet," Tosh sighed, blowing out a sigh of exasperation.

"We're working on a deeper scan, widening the search for energy signals we haven't scanned for yet. Ianto thinks we could try modifying the Sontaran scanner we picked up a few weeks ago."

"Anything's worth a try Tosh."

They approached a clearing which was filled with dignitaries and commoners alike, all seated in chairs lined up before a small platform stage set up for the ceremony to follow.

The little group huddled under a tree on the outskirts of the ceremony perched like fringe dwellers, aliens to the event that was about to take place.

Jack turned his head back the way they had come to summon his last team member.

"Come on Gwen Cooper! It's about to start."

Gwen was still chatting to her fiancée but eager now to get him off the phone.

"Yes love I'm here, I told you I would be……….up on the west bank……yes that's us…..of course they are all here……ok talk to you after, it looks like it is starting. Love you."

She ended the call and took up position near Tosh.

"He's nervous."

She flashed a smirk to the group as a man in a police uniform rose to address the gathering.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, honored guests, welcome to today's proceedings. We are gathered here to pay homage to those people in our community who have acted above and beyond the parameters of human endurance. Today we will celebrate the bravest of our community from those in our emergency services to our police men and women, to everyday people. Without further ado, I would like to hand over to The Mayor to present the following awards."

They started with the police, their stories of bravery and survival awing the crowd. The Torchwood team momentarily stunned when a familiar face climbed the platform as PC Andy Davidson's tale of heroism drifted over the sound waves of the park. They clapped and cheered loudly when he shook the hand of the Mayor, the red glow of his cheeks visible even from where they were standing.

Next came the civilian awards and the reason the team had gathered there. Jack watched Gwen's face glow with pride as Rhys walked up to the stage, his glow almost matching Andy's as he was greeted with raucous cheers from the team , earning some stern glances from the more stitched up member s of the crowd.

_If only you knew…… _Jack thought. _They are the reason you are all sitting there, safe_.

It was hard to take credit when you were meant to be a secret organisation but sometimes it would be nice to have a little credit being pushed their way.

Jack felt a very familiar hand slip into his and he grinned, squeezing back just a little. A small voice whispered in his ear.

"We don't want nor need some ceremony Jack. "

Jack stared at Ianto amazed at his ability to know what he was thinking.

"Come on, ceremony is over and lunch is on Jack" Ianto offered on Jack's behalf, making sure everyone heard.

"Christ Jack! Twice in a few days, you are officially starting to freak me out."

"Shut up Owen and get back to the SUV before I make you finish all that paperwork."

"Lips are sealed, Jack. I swear."

He grabbed Tosh's hand and started the walk back.

"Gwen, go get your hero. Like Ianto said, lunch is on me."

Tugging on Ianto's hand, they started their own walk back. Bringing Ianto's hand to his lips, he kissed it gently. "Thank you."

"For volunteering your credit card?" Ianto asked, a smirk plastered on his face.

"No, and enough with the benevolent boss thing ok? Owen's gonna think I'm easy."

"You are, Jack."

"Only where you are concerned Yan."

The smirk grew wider and it was simply the most beautiful thing Jack had seen in quite a few days.

"Tell me, how did you know the team would come in that morning all together?"

"Ahh, I'll never reveal my sources, Jack." Ianto said, now grateful he had deleted Tosh's text message after he had replied to it.

Jack nodded, knowing it was useless to try and pry information out of his Welshman.

"Thank you Ianto. You're still here, willing to fight."

"Always. Now stop being a soppy sod." Jack gasped as Ianto wound his hands around his back, cupping his hand on Jack's arse.

"Sooner we get this lunch over, the sooner you can start thanking me properly."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I'm sure you can think of something."

Ianto squeezed Jack's ass and smirked cheekily before letting go breaking into a run for the SUV.

Jack threw his head back in laughter and chased after his hero.

The hero that had saved him more times than he cared to count.


End file.
